A school district in canton Basel Country stands behind its decision to allow some Muslim students to not participate in a ritual of shaking their female teacher’s hand before and after class, despite the controversy the move has unleashed across Switzerland.

Last week it was reported that two Muslim students in a school in Therwil, a town outside Basel, did not wish to shake their female teacher’s hand along with the rest of the class because it went against their religious principles.

In Swiss schools, teachers often greet students with a handshake before and after a class. The school exempted the two students from the ritual, resulting in a nationwide debate over whether the exception should have been made.

On Monday, school officials spoke out for the first time, defending their decision. School rector Jürg Lauener said a compromise had been reached with the students involved, in that they also do not shake the hands of male teachers.

“They are no longer allowed to shake the hand of any teacher, male or female. For us, that addresses the question of discrimination,” Lauener told Swiss public television, SRF.

However, the Swiss teachers’ union did not agree with the Therwil school district’s decision.

“The same rules should apply to all students,” argued union president Beat Zemp. He added that the wrong signal was being sent to the students involved since they would need to shake hands with many peers and colleagues in their future lives, both male and female.

Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga also did not agree with the school district’s decision, telling SRF that shaking hands with the teacher “belongs to our culture”.

Certain groups of conservative Muslims argue that refusing to touch a woman is a sign of respect. However, Elham Manea, a Swiss-Yemeni professor of political science at the University of Zurich, told SRF that this represents a fundamentalist viewpoint.

“It has nothing to do with respect,” she said. “It has to do with a worldview that sees women as sexual objects.”

2 thoughts on “School exempts Muslim students from shaking hands with female teachers”

The same situation is spreading like wildfire in schools all across America. There is no more praying or religious expressions allowed, only Muslims get special treatment, they can dress as devout and bring prayer rugs, etc. That is not so silent Jihad!!!